The study aimed to delve into the incidence and risk factors associated with myocarditis and pericarditis following SARS-COV-2-19 vaccination, addressing a notable gap in understanding the safety profile of vaccinations. Through meticulous data selection from the National Health Insurance System (NHIS) database of Korea, the researchers employed both a case-crossover study and a nested case-control design to analyze temporal patterns and risk factors related to carditis occurrences post-immunization. Key findings revealed a significant association between SARS-COV-2-19 vaccination and the occurrence of carditis, with a strong temporal correlation observed within 10 days post-vaccination. Noteworthy factors contributing to carditis risk included the duration between vaccination and carditis, specific comorbidities and medication use. The study concluded by recommending an extended post-vaccination surveillance duration of at least 10 days and underscored the importance of considering individual medical histories and concurrent medication use in assessing vaccine-induced carditis risk. This study might contribute to understanding vaccine safety profiles and emphasizes the significance of comprehensive post-vaccination monitoring protocols.

This paper critically investigates the photographic representation of the US military presence in 1960s-80s Korea by Kuwabara Shisei (1936-), one of the most eminent Japanese photojournalists who has worked in Korea since 1964. The paper specifically discusses a collection of images of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) in his 1986 photobook Kankoku gen'ei (Korea 1964-86) which features the most comprehensive work he produced in Korea. Through close visual analysis and examination of the pictorial narrative that Kuwabara presents throughout the collection of USFK images in the photobook, the paper explores how Kuwabara's images tap into the different kinds of Cold War imaginaries from the existing visual iteration of the USFK in more widely circulating mass media, novels, and movies in Korea at the time. In addition, it underscores USFK images of Kuwabara as his staunch statement against the global presence of the US military. Kuwabara crafts his argument with the hindsight of a Japanese veteran photojournalist who had gained keen insight into the global American military base network through his experiences in Japan, Vietnam, and Cambodia during the 1960s and 1970s. Overall, through close analysis of Kuwabara's photographs, the paper sheds light on the value of looking at photographic representations of the US military for building an understanding of cultural implication of the US military presence in Cold War Korea.

Paranosema locustae is an environmentally friendly parasitic predator with promising applications in locust control. In this study, transcriptome sequencing was conducted on gonadal tissues of Locusta migratoria males and females infected and uninfected with P. locustae at different developmental stages. A total of 18,635 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in female ovary tissue transcriptomes, with the highest number of DEGs observed at 1 day post-eclosion (7141). In male testis tissue transcriptomes, a total of 32,954 DEGs were identified, with the highest number observed at 9 days post-eclosion (11,245). Venn analysis revealed 25 common DEGs among female groups and 205 common DEGs among male groups. Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genome analyses indicated that DEGs were mainly enriched in basic metabolism such as amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, and immune response processes. Protein–protein interaction analysis results indicated that L. migratoria regulates the expression of immune- and reproductive-related genes to meet the body's demands in different developmental stages after P. locustae infection. Immune- and reproductive-related genes in L. migratoria gonadal tissue were screened based on database annotation information and relevant literature. Genes such as Tsf, Hex1, Apolp-III, Serpin, Defense, Hsp70, Hsp90, JHBP, JHE, JHEH1, JHAMT, and VgR play important roles in the balance between immune response and reproduction in gonadal tissues. For transcriptome validation, Tsf, Hex1, and ApoLp-III were selected and verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Correlation analysis revealed that the qRT-PCR expression patterns were consistent with the RNA-Seq results. These findings contribute to further understanding the interaction mechanisms between locusts and P. locustae.

In 10-minute speaking, N95 respirators significantly decreased SARS-CoV-2 emissions compared with no-mask wearing. However, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the air even when wearing N95 and surgical masks in patients with high viral loads. Therefore, universal masking of infected and uninfected persons is important for preventing COVID-19 transmission via the air.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, non-coding RNAs, which are functional in a variety of biological processes through post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. However, the role of miRNAs in the interaction between Bacillus thuringiensis and insects remains unclear. In this study, small RNA libraries were constructed for B. thuringiensis-infected (Bt) and uninfected (CK) Spodoptera exigua larvae (treated with double-distilled water) using Illumina sequencing. Utilising the miRDeep2 and Randfold, a total of 233 known and 726 novel miRNAs were identified, among which 16 up-regulated and 34 down-regulated differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were identified compared to the CK. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that potential target genes of DE miRNAs were associated with ABC transporters, fatty acid metabolism and MAPK signalling pathway which are related to the development, reproduction and immunity. Moreover, two miRNA core genes, SeDicer1 and SeAgo1 were identified. The phylogenetic tree showed that lepidopteran Dicer1 clustered into one branch, with SeDicer1 in the position closest to Spodoptera litura Dicer1. A similar phylogenetic relationship was observed in the Ago1 protein. Expression of SeDicer1 increased at 72 h post infection (hpi) with B. thuringiensis; however, expression of SeDicer1 and SeAgo1 decreased at 96 hpi. The RNAi results showed that the knockdown of SeDicer1 directly caused the down-regulation of miRNAs and promoted the mortality of S. exigua infected by B. thuringiensis GS57. In conclusion, our study is crucial to understand the relationship between miRNAs and various biological processes caused by B. thuringiensis infection, and develop an integrated pest management strategy for S. exigua via miRNAs.

Despite its transformative impact, a systematic approach to Smart PSS development remains elusive. Addressing this, the study introduces a dynamic conceptual model named DHSmart and its accompanying canvas, adaptable to various contexts and technological advancements. Notably, it offers a structured approach to designing ‘Smart’ in Smart PSS, capturing the interplay between data, humans, and smart systems while directing digitalisation that achieves competitive advantage. It also serves as a unifying framework, enabling meaningful interdisciplinary contributions in theory and practice.

Artificial intelligence and cognitive science are two core research areas in design. Artificial intelligence shows the capability of analysing massive amounts of data which supports making predictions, uncovering patterns and generating insights in varying design activities, while cognitive science provides the advantage of revealing the inherent mental processes and mechanisms of humans in design. Both artificial intelligence and cognitive science in design research are focused on delivering more innovative and efficient design outcomes and processes. Therefore, this thematic collection on “Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science in Design” brings together state-of-the-art research in artificial intelligence and cognitive science to showcase the emerging trend of applying artificial intelligence techniques and neurophysiological and biometric measures in design research. Three promising future research directions: 1) human-in-the-loop AI for design, 2) multimodal measures for design, and 3) AI for design cognitive data analysis and interpretation, are suggested by analysing the research papers collected. A framework for integration of artificial intelligence and cognitive science in design, incorporating the three research directions, is proposed to inspire and guide design researchers in exploring human-centred design methods, strategies, solutions, tools and systems.

Todorokite is a common Mn oxide (with a tunnel structure) in the Earth surface environment, and can be obtained by hydrothermal treatment or refluxing process from precursor buserite with a layered structure. Several chemical reaction conditions for the phase transformation from Na-buserite to todorokite at atmospheric pressure were investigated, including temperature, pH, crystallinity of precursor Na-buserite, the amount of the interlayer Mg2+ of the Mg-buserite and clay minerals. The results showed that the conversion rate and crystallinity of todorokite decreased with falling temperature, and Mg-buserite could not be completely transformed to todorokite at lower temperatures (40°C). The poorly crystalline Na-buserite could be converted into todorokite more easily than highly crystalline Na-buserite. Todorokite can be prepared at pH 5–9, but the rate of conversion and crystallinity of todorokite did vary with pH in the order: neutral ≈ alkali > acidic. The conversion rate of todorokite decreased with decreasing interlayer Mg2+ content of the Mg-buserite. The presence of montmorillonite or goethite slowed the formation reaction of todorokite in the refluxing process, and the reaction time was prolonged when the amounts of those minerals were increased.

The early-stage engineering design activities include conceptualising, identifying, and solving an engineering design problem. These activities are essential and standard roles of a design engineer. However, they seem to lack comprehensive practice within the engineering design community. In this study, semi-structured interviews conducted with 18 participants having engineering design backgrounds are presented. The aim of the interviews is to investigate the awareness and practice of the early stage engineering design activities. The participants interviewed practice in countries including France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Contrary to standard expectations, the results of the interviews show that the early-stage engineering design activities are not comprehensively practised. The results suggest that design engineers' crucial role in identifying unknown problems lacks practice. Also, the data from the interviews provide empirical evidence on the determinants for the lack of comprehensive practice of early-stage engineering design activities. Recommendations on possible interventions to support the practice are presented to expedite innovations and inventions.

The availability of digital data in the fourth industrial revolution brings different trends with new opportunities and challenges for the engineering design community. As an opportunity, these trends would impact engineering design. However, the challenge is finding applications for these trends in engineering design. Crowdsourcing is one of the trends inspired by digital data. It is outsourcing an individually performed task to be mass-performed. This paper explores the application of crowdsourcing in identifying engineering design problems. Identifying an engineering design problem is an aspect of engineering design considered challenging but necessary for inventions. Secondary data from 63 invention-related cases and an interview with a renowned UK inventor are presented. The data contains scenarios on how the engineering design problems solved to qualify for a UK patent grant or application are identified. Lessons from the case studies are presented and discussed, especially regarding crowdsourcing engineering design problems. These seem to be promising ways of supporting the identification of new engineering design problems with inventive benefits once solved.

Crowdfunding is becoming increasingly popular for funding projects, particularly in the domain of product design, by asking a large group of people. Previous studies have indicated that creativity plays a significant role in product design and is considered an important factor of success for new product design and development. However, these studies have not explicitly explored the role of creativity in crowdfunding product design projects. This paper investigates this issue by conducting a case study employing expert evaluations of selected successful and unsuccessful crowdfunding product design project samples. The results of the study show there is a positive relationship between the creativity of a product and the success of its crowdfunding campaign. Therefore, creativity can be considered a success factor of crowdfunding. The study also suggests creative products, especially useful ones, might have more potential to attract people's willingness to fund them. This paper has contributed to the research on design, creativity, product design and development, and funding business models. Most importantly, this paper has raised the significance of creativity in design and business.

The ideation process has a significant impact on the initial concept generation and final product creativity of the design. Visual stimuli play an important role in the process of innovative product design. With the increase in computing capability, generative design methods are widely implemented. In this paper, features of design targets and combinational objects in 2 combinational design tasks are fused using adversarial neural generative networks to form the generated stimuli. It is also used with combinational object pictures to investigate the impact on creativity in design ideation. The study invited designers to use and subjectively self-evaluate the two stimuli in a design task. Through analysis of participant data (n=20), the results showed that the generative stimuli had an advantage over the combinational image stimuli in terms of the smoothness of creativity in the design ideation of outcomes. And there is a positive correlation between designers' years of design education and their tendency to prefer generative stimuli. Based on the results obtained, ideas are provided for the study of the influence of visual and generative stimuli on the designer's ideation process.